Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge
Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge is a 7,157-acre (29 km2) National Wildlife Refuge located in five separate units in Baldwin and Mobile Counties, United States, directly west of Gulf Shores, Alabama on the Fort Morgan Peninsula. The refuge serves as a resting and feeding area for migratory birds and as a sanctuary for native flora and fauna. The refuge is one of the largest undeveloped parcels of land on the Alabama coast.
| Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge | |
|---|---|
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area) | |
Location in Alabama Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge (the United States) | |
| Location | Baldwin County and Mobile County, Alabama, United States |
| Nearest city | Gulf Shores, Alabama |
| Coordinates | 30.24°N 87.82°W |
| Area | 7,157.72 acres (29 km2) |
| Established | 1980 |
| Visitors | 50,000 (in 2005) |
| Governing body | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
| Website | Bon Secour NWR |
Established in 1980, Bon Secour (the name, in French, means "safe harbor") is smaller than most other national wildlife refuges, and is divided into Sand Bayou, Perdue, Little Point Clear, Fort Morgan, and Little Dauphin Island.
The Perdue unit is the most developed. Most units are located on the Fort Morgan Peninsula in Baldwin County, except Little Dauphin Island, which is in Mobile County. More than 50,000 guests visit the refuge annually. The fiscal year 2005 budget was $404,000.
Protected habitats within the refuge include beaches and sand dunes, western portion of Little Lagoon, scrub forest, fresh and saltwater marshes, fresh water swamps, and uplands.